Airbnb has become the stay of choice for many travelers (present company included) in recent years. Some enjoy the extra space. Others like the affordability and the ability to self cater. We love living like locals and feeling as if we’re part of the neighborhood. According to the National Bureau of Economic research, over 150 million users have booked over 1 billion stays on the platform since its inception in 2008. The company has impacted the hotel industry, accounting for between 25 and 30% of bookings worldwide.
As a member of several online travel groups, I often see posts by people who are curious about the Airbnb experience, but are hesitant to try it, citing “nightmares” they have heard about trips that didn’t go well. As travelers, we all have stories about problematic experiences with airlines, hotels, tour operators. Many of these issues are unavoidable. Through trial and error, we have learned a few things about Airbnb rentals and how to mitigate some problems and hopefully greatly increase the chances of having a wonderful experience.
A Lesson Learned
After great stays in Bologna, Cartagena and Lyon, we had an apartment booked in Dublin. This was going to be our first self check-in experience. For the previous bookings, the host or a representative met us at the apartment and gave us the keys and any necessary instructions.
A few days prior to our arrival in Dublin, we received instructions on how to access our rental. This involved finding a bike rack in front of a convenience store around the block from our building. The key holder/lockbox was chained to the bike rack and sat on the floor. Awkward, to say the least…
Apparently the building we were staying in frowned upon short term rentals, and this was our host’s way of maintaining discretion.
We got into our apartment and I decided to shower. The water heater was not working. When I phoned the host, the call was handled by a call center in London. It turned out that this Airbnb was not managed by “Peter”, but by a large company that manages hundreds of units around Europe. The agent basically read from a script and was unable to talk me through this problem. She arranged to have a plumber come the next day. We had to go back around the corner to leave him the keys at the bike stand. This time it was raining and I had to get on my knees on the wet pavement. Yuck. Lesson learned.
Just to be clear - this is not a knock on self check-in properties. Most of these properties have the lockbox right next to front door that can be accessed standing upright. Others have an electronic code to get in the building. Getting the keys to the Dublin flat had more of a scavenger hunt vibe.
Rule 1: Take a Deep Dive into the Reviews
After looking at all the reviews on our Dublin apartment, we found three instances of hot water problems. We also found a mention of the offshore management company and a couple of comments about the lockbox on the bike rack. Now, once we narrow down our choices to two or three places, we read all of the reviews. The Airbnb review pages have a very useful search bar. If we come across one review that says the apartment is noisy, we can type “noise” and “noisy” in the search bar and see if other guests had a similar opinion. You can type “restaurants” to see if the location is conveniently located for dining out. We also tend to choose homes with many reviews - at least twenty or thirty. If the unit has only a handful of reviews, we look into the host. If the host has dozens of reviews for other units they own, then that would be a reason to consider renting there.
One deep dive we took was a listing in Sorrento, Italy revealed that our hosts were retired chefs who offered a homemade southern Italian dinner served on the patio of the Airbnb overlooking the Bay of Naples. We jumped on that house immediately and were treated to the meal of a lifetime - watch below.
Rule 2: Book Guest Favorites or with Superhosts
In 2023, Airbnb established the Guest Favorite badge. This badge is given to listings with an average star rating of 4.9 or higher and also takes into account guest reviews, complaints and cancellation rates.
Superhost status is granted to hosts with a minimum of 100 nights of bookings and an average star rating of 4.8 or more. Superhosts also need to have a cancellation rate below 1%.
When you are searching for an Airbnb, you now choose Guest Favorites as a filter option under Top Tier Stays. Speaking of filters - be sure to use them. If you want your own place, be sure to indicate “Entire Home” at the top of the filter box. If things like air conditioning, Wi-Fi, elevators or washing machines are a priority, make sure you check them off.
Rule 3: Choose a 4.8 Rating or Higher
4.8 is now the cutoff for Superhosts. That seems to be the magic number and it’s worked for us. Our video below shows a Guest Favorite/Superhost apartment we stayed at in Roma Norte, Mexico City. 2 Bedroom/2 Bath, walk-in closet. 7 nights in April - $1033.
Rule 4: Book Listings with Generous Cancellation Policies
Give yourself a chance to change your mind. We usually gravitate towards homes that allow you to cancel a month or less before the stay with a full refund. This allows two things: as the exact location of the unit is not revealed until it is booked, we can check and see what the neighborhood is like. We get on Google Maps and look at the street view. Then we use that tool to take a virtual walk around the neighborhood. We also have enough time to check back in on the reviews at a later time and make sure guests are still have great things to say about the home.
Rule 5: Know What the Pictures are Telling You
Carefully inspect the pictures. This will ensure you get what you are looking for. At the time of writing of this article, we’ve had sixteen Airbnb stays and looked at hundreds of listing and thousands of pictures. They will give you a lot of information.
Is there a regular bed or a pullout sofa? The answer is in the photos. Some European bathrooms have a tub with just a handheld shower head and no curtains or shower door. Sometimes there is no picture of the bathroom at all - that’s a red flag.
Does the home have a lot of personal items around? That may say that the host is renting their apartment part time. We choose listings from hosts that pay special attention to detail. If the photos in the listing look amateurish and sloppy, that may be a reflection on how a host treats their property. If you enjoy natural light, then make sure you see windows in those pictures.
As you find interesting properties, place them on a Wishlist by clicking on the heart shaped save icon.
Finding an Airbnb is definitely more work than booking a hotel, but your time spent will be rewarded greatly for your efforts.
We have stayed in literally hundreds of Air BnB’s around the world and like you could write a book on what to look for in the listing, what to ask about, etc etc etc. I agree with everything you have said and because of the distaste we have with Air BnB, we are not going to be using them this trip. There are plenty of other avenues to follow :-). My husband has said I should write a book on what to look for and ask before renting from Air BnB so I am glad you have jotted down things that will help others.
We had a great month long stay at an Airbnb in Barcelona. Nice apartment, terrific neighborhood out of , but close to the heavily touristed area. Owner was always available by phone but didn’t have any problems.